Teenagers and adults can discuss a variety of problems facing young adults at the 20th annual Risky Business Conference.

The conference, sponsored by the Community, Youth and Family Development branch of Youth & Shelter Services Inc., will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Fisher Theater. Participants can engage in workshops on a variety of issues relevant to young adults, from sexual harassment to bullying.

Erik Potter, public information officer for YSS, said this conference is unique among conferences on teen issues.

“A lot of conferences are more adult-oriented or just focused on youth,” he said. “[Risky Business] is bringing together the two, sharing their experiences together.”

Barb Mittman, prevention specialist for YSS and conference coordinator, said the purpose of the conference is to integrate teens into the community.

“The conference is to foster youth to become involved fully in the leadership of a local community,” she said.

Mittman said trained youth can help adults in community development and other tasks.

The conference includes three keynote speakers and three rounds of workshops.

Keynote speakers are Nick Mezakapa, who will speak about freedom and confidence; Javier Sanchez, who will speak about teenagers staying committed; and Susan Weinberger, who will speak about the power of mentoring.

The workshops cover a variety of topics, and participants will be able to attend three workshops.

Gov. Tom Vilsack’s recent focus on the problem of bullies in school influenced the issues addressed at the conference.

“We have a lot of workshops on anti-bullying this year,” Mittman said.

Other workshops will allow participants to hear stories from a panel of teenagers, each of whom has survived some peril growing up, such as intolerance or discrimination, she said.

Workshops will also address “risky behaviors” teens may engage in, Mittman said.

“[The workshops] let teens express themselves in nontraditional ways, like music and community service,” she said.

Some workshops will be for only adult or only teen participants, which Potter hopes will increase participation.

“They feel more comfortable asking questions,” he said. “The workshops get adults and youth to talk about the same issues, working on solutions, ways of communicating and looking at things from different angles.”

The conference will also host Sheltered Reality, a musical organization made up of more than 200 drummers from the ages of 10 to 18.